The Reality of Daydreams
by Lost In Sanity
Summary: On a hiking trip with her brother and his friends, Trixabelle Leeson gets swept away by a river current. She is rescued by two unfamiliar and strange men, claiming to be twins, who seem as if they walked straight out of one of her brother's fantasy novels


"Hey!" Trix yelled, "Pay attention you lack-wit!"

Her brother, Adam, snapped back to reality just before stepping knee deep into a large pool of thick mud. He tried to replace his step onto a tree root beside the blocked trail but slipped and stumbled forward, his left foot stepping deep into the mud. He stood there for a few seconds, looking miserable, before extricating the muck covered foot and continuing on. This time he took care to be more aware of his surroundings.

"Where has your head been at?" Adam's sister asked impatiently, "you have to start paying attention to the trails or you put yourself in danger, and I for one don't want to have to deal with that!"

Adam nodded. "I'm sorry Trix, I've just been...thinking."

"Well stop it. We are going to be stopping to eat soon, so you can hold off with the daydreams until then."

Adam nodded for a second time and started to walk again, trying to catch up with his friend Mick who was far ahead. Trix sighed and, adjusting her pack, continued on as well.

Adam and two of his friends, all 17, had decided to take a backpacking trip in British Columbia for a part of their summer vacation. Trixabelle, a year older than each of them, had wanted to get a break from the city and so decided to accompany them on their little trip. They had been out there for a couple of days now, and Trix was realizing it was more burdensome than she had expected, travelling with three undisciplined teenage guys.

Finally, they stopped at a river for some lunch. Trix pulled some snacks out of her pack and then went to go sit on the bridge which crossed the water. Adam came up to sit for a while beside her.

"so what was it that you were thinking about back there?" Trix asked her brother.

"Just...some stuff, you know." Trix raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Adam continued, "Well, it might seem kind of stupid, but you know all those fantasy novels I read? Well, out here, trekking through the wild, it makes me feel as if I were one of those characters. A mage, or a warrior, going on some great quest. I just wish I had some important purpose like that." He sighed, looking down at the water.

Trix gave a small smile, something she rarely did. "Well, maybe you will have some important purpose like that. How are we to know?"

Adam gave a slight, grateful smile in response, and slowly stood. "I'm going to go sit with the guys for a bit. Thanks."

Trix sat there on the bridge for a few more minutes, staring in solitary silence at the rushing water below. She felt an unpleasantly familiar sensation all of a sudden, as if something were pulling at her insides. As the wave of nausea swept over her, she stood to go and get some Gravol from her pack. Gripping the railing, she walked slowly back across. Trix had almost reached the end when a second wave of nausea gripped her. She reeled and, before she could stop herself, pitched over the railing and into the cold water.

"Hey, is your sister okay?" Jaimie asked Adam, seeing Trix's pallid face. She stood up, looking uneasy on her feet. Adam stepped toward the bridge to see if she was all right when she slipped, and pitched over the low side railing. They all watched in horror as she hit the water.

Trix shrieked, the current was carrying her fast. She looked around and saw Adam, Jaimie, and their other friend Ryan, disappear into the trees that ran parallel to the river. They were intent on finding a location where the water was calm enough to retrieve Trix safely. Water swept over her head, and she kicked wildly, gasping for air as she resurfaced. The water wasn't being very nice at all, and she had to fight just so she could keep her head above the surface. Her shoulder crashed into a rock and she let out a watery yelp. She grasped her shoulder in pain. Trix couldn't get a clear view of where the boulder had struck her, but she could tell that it had left her bleeding. She knew she was whimpering, though she couldn't hear herself over the crashing of the water. Her lip was trembling, and she couldn't tell if she was shivering from the cold of the water, or if she was crying. Trix gave up on fighting the strength of the current, it only left her exhausted. Shutting her eyes tight, she hugged herself and hoped that the guys would be able to find her - and help her - soon. Suddenly, a large hand gripped her under the arm, and she started in suprise. Her eyes flew open and she saw that she was being lifted out of the water. Her rescuer laid her down on the bank, and she looked up in relief, expecting to see her brother, Jaimie, and Ryan. She let out a strangled gasp as she viewed the man who had saved her.


End file.
